UK to hold DNA of innocents for 6 years

nepal 
Britain said Wednesday it plans to get rid of DNA profiles of most innocent people after six years as it responds to a European Court ruling that said keeping the information indefinitely was a violation of human rights.

The DNA of terror suspects could be held indefinitely, even if they are not charged with terrorist offenses.

Britain has one of the largest DNA databases in the world, with more than 5 million profiles on file – many times larger than that of the United States as a share of population.

"I believe the proposals I am announcing today represent the most proportionate approach to DNA retention," said Home Secretary Alan Johnson. He said the proposals will ensure the database continues to help tackling crime.

The Home Office said it proposed to remove the DNA profiles of most adults arrested but not charged or convicted of any recordable offense after six years.

The proposals came after the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously last year that keeping DNA samples and fingerprints indefinitely was a violation of the right to privacy. The protection is guaranteed under the Human Rights Convention, which Britain has signed.

The court also criticized Britain's use of blanket and indiscriminate storage.

More than 1 million DNA samples have come from people who were never charged with a crime or were acquitted. Many of the samples were taken from juveniles.

Rights groups criticized the government's decision, arguing that it violated the spirit of the court's ruling.

"To hold your DNA for six years we think is disproportionate," said Anna Fairclough, a DNA expert at the civil rights group Liberty.

She said the proposal will likely face opposition when it goes to Parliament.

"If it is passed, it will result inevitably in more litigation," she added. Testing Britain's new policy before the human rights court would require the filing of a new lawsuit.

The government says DNA data is essential for fighting crime and providing justice for victims. The Home Office said that between April 1998 and September 2009 there were more than 410,589 crimes with DNA matches, providing the police with leads on the identities of offenders.

"Clearly the system is giving the police quite a lead with the possible identity of offenders," Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman Simon Lewis said.